I think Merlin was in the unique situation to switch carreers. And I think he quit 43f over his book project, which he then quit for podcasting - thank god, I love his podcasts and am a Back to Work listener of the first hour.
I dare to disagree. Bringing the (numerous) tasks back to the calendar is a method of simplifying, not overcomplicating. It has a grounding effect. You simply cannot make “nerdy plans” with productivity software and set up endless to-do lists if you sit down and have to make room for all of this in your calendar. Try it, it can be liberating.
For me, it is also a question of professionalism: With dozens of cases going on at any given moment, I would go completely crazy and have problems estimating the time needed if I would not thoroughly think through the time budget of every case currently deserving my attention. Hyper scheduling helps with that. It’s really not about overcomplicating, but about responsible resource allocation.
But of course, that’s just my story, your milage may vary… 